Addiction is a Foul Mistress
by Owlcityscape
Summary: Humanstuck! Rose has a problem, and she needs to get help. So, off to Skaia Trails Residential Rehabilitation Center, where she meets a lot of new people and conquers her addiction. What will become of her during her adventure, and how will she adjust back home WARNING: EVENTUAL DISCUSSION OF ADDICTIONS, SELF HARM, AND SUICIDAL THEMES! DO NOT READ IF THIS WILL BOTHER OR TRIGGER YOU
1. Goodbyes

Saying goodbye is quite possibly one of the hardest parts of being sent away, especially when you don't know how long you'll be gone. Maybe a month, maybe six. You didn't know, and part of you didn't want to know. Part of you feared the prospect of knowing, because if you knew that you'd be gone for a total of four months and thirteen days, you would have cancelled your plane ticket right then and there and not gone at all. But you had to go, so you told yourself you were going for a month, and that's it. No more than a month. After a month you were going to sign the 72 hour release, and take off back home. Somewhere in the back of your mind you knew you were going to stay as long as you needed to, but you held on to the false affirmations. They definitely made you feel better about leaving.

You said goodbye to your brother first. He was one of your biggest supporters, your rock. Dave had given up a whole lot for you. After all, that's what family's for. He had spent months calling up your insurance company to get you into the best treatment center in the U.S., Skaia Trails Residential Rehabilitaion Center. ST for short, the lady at the main office had insisted you call it. ST was the place to go for help with any kind of addiction, ranging from alcohol to cocaine to meth to weed, you could get help there.

"You be good, Rose. I know you can do it," he had said, right before tousling your hair gently. You laughed and kissed him on the cheek, hopping into the drivers' seat of your Impala and assuring him that you would most certainly try, with no guarantees. Next stop, your sister's place.

Roxy Lalonde wasn't that much older than you, only four years. She lived in the city, which turned out to be not as close as you'd remembered it to be. It took about two and a half hours to get to New York City, and another half hour to find a place to park. You ended up parking in a coffeeshop lot and walking about half a mile to her building. You greeted the doorman with a smile and a little wave, and he responded with a tip of his hat. What a nice fellow. You took the lift up to the eighth floor and headed to her door. It took about three minutes for her to actually get to the door, and when she did, she looked like she just got out of bed. She was clad in only a pair of orange boxers that definitely did not belong to her, and a pink tank top. Her boyfriend, a charming young man by the name of Dirk, showed up behind her, hair a beautiful mess. He had on nothing but pajama pants, and you had a feeling that he had spent the night.

"Rose! Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you could make it!" she grinned, opening the door up all the way and stepping aside to let you in. You entered, nodding up once at Dirk. He gave a slight wave, nodding back. You two didn't talk much, and you don't think either of you minded. You sat down on the edge of the couch and the other two followed suit, sitting across from you on the loveseat.

"Hello, Roxy. You too, Dirk. You two must have been busy last night, judging by your attire and the fact that you both look like you just rolled out of bed." Roxy laughed and Dirk looked away, mumbling softly about how you should stop being nosy and get back to business. Rox nudged Dirk in the side.

"Yeah, we were reeeeeeal busy last night. But Dirky here was all outta-"

"Roxy." Dirk glared at her. You had to stifle back a laugh. Roxy was more... "out there" about her sex life than Dirk ever could've hoped to be. Not that he hoped to be inthe slightest. He absolutely hated talking about it with anyone but Roxy. Roxy took the hint from Dirk and ended her sentence there.

"But yeah, m'glad you made it here before flying out to Chicago. We're gonna miss ya, sweetiepie."

"I'll certainly miss you two as well. I'm certainly not excited about leaving home for such an extended period of time." Roxy nodded in understanding. She had gone off to California a few years before for her own alcohol problem, bless her soul. She knew exactly how it felt, and you were definitely glad to have someone close who knew the process.

"I made you a list too for when you get there, things to make sure to do and things to avoid doing." She handed you an envelope, stuffed full of little pieces of paper. "It was supposed to be a list, but I kept remembering different things after I ran outta paper, so I just made each one an individual sticky note. You can stick 'em all over your room at Skaia." You thanked her and put the envelope in your bag.

The rest of the visit wasn't all that eventful. The three of you (mostly you and Roxy, Dirk didn't talk much) talked for a bit more (and by a bit, you mean you were there for almost three hours chatting away), and then exchanged hugs and kisses before you took your leave. Roxy made Dirk walk you back to your car, after putting on streetclothes and combing his hair, of course. The walk was, as you expected, silent. You gave him a kiss on the cheek like you did with Dave, and he gave you one in return, before you jumped into your car and drove off. Next stop: home, where you could spend the rest of the evening with your lovely girlfriend, and, in a twisted turn of events, give _her_ a lovely goodbye present that you know she won't forget.


	2. A Life Left Behind, A New Friend Gained

You arrived back at home at about one in the morning. You werre sick and tired of driving, and couldn't wait to get back into bed. The turn of a key and shove of a door later, you were back inside. You slumped against the door, effectively closing it, and slowly slid down to the ground. You felt as though you couldn't even make it into bed. Your eyes fluttered shut. It was only a few minutes before the darkness of the room cleared and one of the (unfortunately) brighter lights flicked on. Oh yeah, Kanaya. You opened your eyes and looked up at her looming figure, arms crossed and foot tapping against the ground.

"Where have you been? I have been trying to call you all day long. A simple 'I'll be home late' would've sufficed." She rolled her eyes and grabbed an envelope off of the coffeetable, tossing it at you. You caught it and gave it a once-over.

"What's this?"

"Enclosed are your plane tickets. Your flight is at five. That gives you about four and a half hours to pack, get to the airport, and arrive at the gate."

You bolted upright, giving her a shocked look.

"I tried calling you, Rose. Skaia called and said they had a bed open. They want you on a flight to Chicago as soon as possible so they can get you registered and settled in. I'm sorry, Rose, but you've got to go. I took the liberty of selecting a reasonable amount of clothing from your wardrobe to suit any weather condition you may face while you're away, and..." You quit listening. Your head was spinning, and your knees felt weak. You truly did not expect to be leaving so soon, especially without warning. Wordlessly, you walked right past her, heading for your bedroom to get packed.

It must really have hurt on Kanaya's end, considering you gave her the silent treatment until the two of you reached the airport. The last time you'd see your beloved for at LEAST a month, and you didn't say a word to her. You did, however, give her a kiss before you left, pressing your lips against hers hungrily, because you needed that kiss, you simply _needed_ it. She blew you one through the window of the airport as you began your walk to the security checkpoint. Not a single word was uttered. Not one.

The security checkpoint was a routine, boring experience. Shoes off and on the conveyor belt in the little tub, along with your jacket and carryon bag, and your purse, etc. Walk through the metal detector. Realize you left some coins in your pocket, apologize for the inconvenience, put the coins in a tub, get beeped out again. The security wand of shame, the invasive scan, and then, upon the realization that you're just a tired young woman who wants to get on her flight and not a threat at all, being released, grabbing your stuff, slipping your shoes back on, and leaving for your gate. It's the exact same routine every time. Slow, boring, and unproductive.

You arrived at your gate about twenty minutes early, and sat down in the complimentary seats. You stared off into space for a few moments before someone sat down next to you, a chipper young woman with long black hair and thick round glasses. You smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Hiya! I'm Jade, Jade Harley!" she grinned wide and held out her hand. You shook it gently.

"Hello, Jade. My name is Lalonde, Rose Lalonde. Are you headed to Chicago, as well?"

Jade nodded. "Uh huh! Not all too excited to go, though. It's pretty nerve-wracking, considering I'm not exactly going on vacation." She frowned a bit and looked down at the ground. Oh ho ho, did you understand how she felt.

"Are you visiting family? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"I don't mind at all! Actually, I'm going to a treatment center for my anxiety and eating disorder. Skaia Trails, I think it's called." You chuckled, but quickly put your hand over your mouth when she gave you a hurt expression.

"Oh, no, I'm not laughing at your predicament. I'm just kind of shocked. You see, I'm on my way there, too, for alcoholism." Her face lit up immediately, and she looked like she was going to scream. Before she could even get a word out, the man at the boarding gate started up the loudspeaker.

"Flight 612 to Chicago, now boarding. I repeat, flight 612 to Chicago is now boarding." Jade jumped up and grabbed your hand, practically dragging you to the gate. You liked this girl, she was nice and frankly, really cute. Not in the romantic attraction way, the way you would look at a puppy and go "Wow, ain't that just adorable!". You gave your slip to the man at the gate (who was obviously very, very hungover) and Jade followed suit. He scanned them both and gave you the "Yeah okay you're good, now get on the damned flight before I put my head through the wall" gesture. Jade practically ran down to the plane, dragging you along. Wow, was she energetic. It was nice in comparison to your calm and collected composure. She, of course, picked out two seats near the back next to each other, insisting that she "wouldn't want you sitting next to some random creep!". Truth be told, you were very grateful. You've had some... pretty exotic encounters in the past. The two of you sat down and waited patiently for the flight to begin.

**Author's Note:**

**Oh heya there! I really hope you like the fic so far! Anywho, I wrote this chapter at two in the morning, so if there are any spelling or grammatical mistakes, don't worry- I'll fix them right up as soon as possible! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!**

**xoxo**


	3. Hello Chicago

The plane ride was shorter than you had previously expected, only about two hours from JFK in New York City to Midway Airport in southern Chicago. At first, Jade was more anxious than you'd ever imagine anyone to be, shaking in her seat, talking fast about the dangers of flying, and coming alarmingly close to having an anxiety attack. You talked the flight attendant into spiking your drink with a bit of vodka when she had run off to the bathroom, and switched yours with hers in an attempt to calm her down. She, being a year underaged and too scared to drink, had no idea what vodka tasted like, so you had that to your advantage. Three "virgin" Shirley Temples later, she was out of it, head laying limp on your shoulder mouth dripping with hot, sticky drool. You wiped her lips and cheek and frowned. Poor girl. You dozed off after a few minutes as well, face pressed into her silky hair. It smelled of strawberries.

Once your flight landed, you sat up quickly, jostling Jade and nearly forcing her up as well.

"Whaa...?" she made out, still a quite a bit tipsy and disoriented.

"Welcome to Chicago, the time is 6:30 a.m., and if you'll take a look outside, the sky is clear, the air is still, and it's a nice 82 degrees all around. Have a beautiful trip!" The pilot's voice was nasally, like your sister's, but much deeper and way more intolerable. You shrugged and stood, helping Jade up next to you. From the looks of everyone around you, they were very well aware of her drunken status. Whoops.

"Pull your hood over your head. When we get out into the airport, I am going to buy you a large bottle of water and some food, which you will eat and drink without complaint. Understand?" you whispered softly into her ear, the way Kanaya would when you came home drunk in the wee hours of the morning. Food and water definitely dimmed down the effects of alcohol, and stopped you from turning into a sloppy mess. You hadn't exactly intended for her to get tipsy, just to calm down. She must have a low intolerance, and from the looks of it, an empty stomach, too. She nodded slightly and stumbled into the aisle, nearly causing a scene. You were glad she wasn't a mean drunk, or a loud drunk. She seemed to be more of a quiet, emotional one. You prayed silently that she'd stay that way.

Once off the plane for good, you grabbed her hand, leading her in the direction of food. You found a McDonald's and grimaced. She didn't look like she brought any money with her. Not that you'd make her pay, because this was your fault. You. Dug a twenty and figured that that would be enough for this poor excuse of a source of food.

"One Breakfast Deluxe, and a bacon egg and cheese on a biscuit. Oh, and a bottle of water, as well." The man at the counter rung you up, looking as though he was close to decapitating everyone in the room. His name badge read 'Karkat', and he had a small crab sticker next to the 'T'. Probably there as a badge of crabbiness. You smiled to yourself and donated the coined change from your order into the little box at the register, in honor of Crabby Karkat. You seated yourselves at a table as far away from everyone else as you could get. The airport was crowded, as you had expected, so your options were limited. By now Jade was mostly sobered up, so you didn't have to hold her hand any further. She sat down across from you and took her breakfast, eating only a bit of the biscuit. You looked worried and asked her if she was going to eat any more.

"I can't. I just can't," she whispered. You briefly recalled the comment she made earlier about her eating disorder and looked down at the ground, taking a bot of your sandwich. You didn't press her any further.

**Author's Note: Ahahah whoops, this one is a bit short. Sorry. I'll make up for it in the next one, promise.**


End file.
